NAD Examines Advertising For Intuit’s Turbo Tax Software

New York, NY – July 25, 2007 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has determined that Intuit Inc., has provided reasonable support for advertising claims made for its Turbo Tax Online software.

Claims in print and Internet advertising for Turbo Tax Online made by Intuit, Inc. were reviewed by NAD, the advertising industry’s self-regulatory forum, as part of its routine monitoring program.  Specifically, the following claim featured in the print and Website advertising formed the basis for this inquiry:

• “Get the biggest refund possible with Deduction Maximizer Center.”

The advertiser, during the course of the inquiry, explained that TurboTax Online directs users to required forms, if any, and then tells users where to manually enter the appropriate amount in TurboTax Online to
take advantage of deductions or credits in their tax filings.

The advertiser said also that its Deduction Maximizer Center offers users ItsDeductible, a tool to help people accurately value items of property contributed to charity.  According to the advertiser, the values provided by ItsDeductible generally provide a much greater deduction than any values provided by the Salvation Army or Goodwill guides.  According to the advertiser, Intuit has millions of records to substantiate these values should they be contested by the IRS.  The advertiser contended that by helping to identify possible deductions and credits and maximizing the value of charitable contributions, the Deduction Maximizer Center enables consumers to obtain the maximum refund legally possible.

NAD, in its decision, noted that in order to support its claim, the advertiser needed to demonstrate that its program contains all of the essential tax information necessary for a consumer to obtain the biggest refund possible and is sufficiently navigable and manageable for the majority of users, including those who are not computer savvy.

NAD determined that the advertiser’s software and online program contained comprehensive and up-to-the-date information regarding the Tax Code that (assuming user accessibility to all of the information) can enable consumers to get the maximum deduction to which they are entitled by law.

Further, after reviewing the evidence in the record, including the manner of operation of the software, the methodology and the way in which the relevant information is disseminated to users, NAD determined that advertiser provided a reasonable basis of support for its claim, “get the biggest refund possible with Deduction Maximizer Center.”

The company, in its advertiser’s statement, said it “appreciates NAD’s reasoned analysis of the issues and remains a firm supporter of NAD’s self regulatory process.”